


Expectations

by soupsaga



Category: American Gothic (TV 2016)
Genre: AU, F/F, High School AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-10-22
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:17:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8143712
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupsaga/pseuds/soupsaga
Summary: Naomi Flynn is starting her senior year at a new high school. Alison Hawthorne has been teaching there for three years. What happens when the two meet?





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> For all of my non-American readers, the typical high school senior is 17-18.

Naomi slid into the closest seat to the door, internally shaming herself for being so close to being late to her first class. As she settled into her seat, she took the time to look around the room, observing the faces and outfits of her peers. All of the girls seemed to wear similar outfits consisting of a simple top, jeans, and varying colors of the latest shoe trend, Converse. The clothing style seemed to vary from guy to guy, most just wearing shorts and a t-shirt. She herself was wearing black cotton shorts with a lace overlay along with a maroon top and an all black pair of Vans. She didn't feel out of place in her outfit, she had seen at least one other girl wearing one similar to hers. 

While Naomi was looking around the room, she noticed the lack of a teacher and glanced down at her schedule. Next to "Biology 1 Honors" was the name "Hawthorne". There wasn't anything else, no indication of the gender of her teacher, but a quick glance around the room would help answer the question. This "Hawthorne" was definitely a woman. Naomi was sitting in a color coordinated classroom, a feature she had never seen in a male teacher's room. 

Naomi's observations were cut short by a cheery voice from beside her. "I'm so sorry I'm a few minutes late. I was helping a student with their locker."

Naomi looked up to see a beautiful blonde woman walking into the classroom. She had never been so sure of her sexuality until this moment. Her teacher was absolutely gorgeous. 

"I'm Ms. Hawthorne and I will be teaching you Biology this year. I believe most of you are freshmen, but I do think I saw a few upperclassmen on my roster. I am so sorry that you got stuck in a freshmen class -especially if you're a senior- but it just means that you haven't taken the course yet. It's a state requirement to graduate here. So, I'll start by telling you a few things about myself, and then I'll go through the attendance and you can each say a few things about yourself." She flashed a smile as she looked around the room, her eyes momentarily pausing on Naomi. "I'm Alison Hawthorne, I'm twenty-four. I've been teaching for three years, this is my fourth year. I'm about ten years older than most of you, but we probably have similar interests."

Ms. Hawthorne went through the attendance, and though it felt like two years, she finally called Naomi's name. "Naomi Flynn. Ooh! I love the name Naomi."

"Thank you, my parents gave it to me for my birthday," Naomi teased, winking at Ms. Hawthorne, which caused her to let out a small giggle and blush slightly. "I just moved here from Florida, although I was born here and lived here until I was twelve... I, uh, I play volleyball and I really like every science except for biology."

Ms. Hawthorne smirked at Naomi's last remark. "We'll see about that. I'm sure you'll love my class by the end of the year... You'll never want to leave."

Naomi rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Don't hold your breath," she teased, earning another laugh from her teacher. 

 

At the end of class, Naomi stayed in her seat until the rest of the class left. She finally stood as the last student exited the classroom and made her way towards Ms. Hawthorne's desk. "You wanted to see me?" She asked softly, standing in front of the blonde's desk.

Alison looked up and smiled, taking in Naomi's presence. "What lunch do you have?"

Naomi furrowed her brows, but hesitantly responded to her teacher, "First, why?"

"I don't have a fifth period, so my sister, Tessa, who is also a senior, and a few of her friends come eat lunch in here. They have first lunch too. So, if you don't make a friend by lunch, just come in here. Tessa is very sweet and she can make friends easily, I'm sure she'd love to meet you."

Naomi smiled at her teacher before looking down and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous habit she had developed as a child. "Thanks, I'm sure I'll end up in here. I'm not too good with meeting new people."

Alison smiled and placed a gentle hand on Naomi's forearm. "I'm sure you won't have any problem making friends. Someone would have to be an idiot to not want to be friends with you."

Naomi blushed and looked up at Alison. She jumped slightly as she heard the bell, having been so focused on the blonde. 

"What's your next class? I'll walk you down there to make sure they know you were with me."

"AP Lang in Ms. White's room," Naomi responded before looking around the room. She had been so entranced by her teacher that she hadn't noticed the students that had filled the room.

Alison stood up and set her hand on Naomi's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. She rubbed a small circle before dropping her hand and leading Naomi towards the door. She turned around and told her class she would return soon and began the two minute journey to Naomi's next class.


	2. Chapter 2

Naomi scoffed at the boy in front of her. "Listen, I genuinely do not want to go out with you. I'm gay, like really gay. You cannot change that with your "on-point dick game" or whatever you just said. And even if I wasn't gay, I definitely wouldn't want to go out with you. So please, leave me alone."

The boy moved his hand towards Naomi's hip, but Naomi reached out, grabbing his forearm. "If you touch me, I will make sure that you will never be able to have children again," she gritted through her teeth. Her grip began to tighten on his arm as his smirk grew. 

"Feisty, I like it."

"I suggest you leave her alone and don't bother her again," Alison stepped beside two. She turned towards the unfamiliar boy, "What class should you be in?"

"I'm not telling you," he scoffed. 

Alison smirked, "That's fine, I'll just call Mr. Davis and let him know that you're harassing one of my students. I'm sure that'll look great on your record."

The boy's eyes widened as he realized the mistake he made. "You're a teacher?"

Naomi rolled her eyes and let go of his arm. "You're an asshole, and you're never going to get a girlfriend being forceful like that."

"Ms. Flynn," Alison glared at Naomi. "Go sit in my classroom while I deal with him. I'll write you a pass to whatever class you're supposed to be in."

Naomi looked up at Alison, silently thanking her, before making her way into the blonde's classroom. She sighed internally, thankful that it had been the teacher's planning period, so there wouldn't be a class inside. Naomi sat at the desk closest to Alison's and pulled out her phone. Unsure of how long it would take before Alison would come back, Naomi started taking pictures of herself, knowing she was in need of an update profile picture for her social media accounts. She had cut her hair when she moved, and her friends back in Florida had yet to find out. 

"Very cute, Miss Flynn," Alison laughed as she noticed Naomi had been posing for pictures in the back of her classroom. 

Naomi blushed and quickly set her phone down, "I'm sorry."

Alison shook her head, smiling at the girl. "It's fine. So, what happened out there?"

"Classic straight boy? Thinks he can turn a lesbian straight and won't stop trying to get me to go out with him," Naomi rolled her eyes. "Thank you, though. I thought I was going to have to punch him to get him to leave me alone."

"I usually have an impressive gaydar," Alison frowned. 

Naomi laughed, raising her eyebrows. "Oh yeah? How?"

"Bisexual," Alison shrugged. "I'm really disappointed that you didn't ping."

Naomi smiled, "Well, maybe I'm just special. Undetectable."

Alison stood at her podium, writing out a pass for Naomi. "What class are you in?"

"Yours, currently," Naomi smirked, walking towards Alison.

Alison rolled her eyes at Naomi, and bit her lip to contain her laughter. "You're quite the comedian, Naomi. So, I know you've only been here for almost a week, but do you like it here?"

Naomi smiled and nodded, "Everyone has generally been great. I have a few friends, this crazy biology teacher. You might know her... I think her name is Alyssa Sawhorne?"

"That's cold," Alison laughed. "Are you busy after school?"

"Not that I know of," Naomi furrowed her eyebrows. "Why?"

Alison bit her lip, "I need some help with my office, I just moved into this classroom this year, so the old teacher still has a bunch of stuff in my office. I never got a chance to fix it over the summer. I'd be willing to sign off on some community service hours..."

Naomi nodded, "Yeah, sure. I'll be here. Right after school?"

Alison nodded and handed Naomi the pass. She flashed her a small smile, "I'll see you later then."

The day seemed to drag along for Naomi. Although she only had two classes after her run-in with Alison, it had felt like seven. She was anxious, but excited about her time she would later spend with the older woman. Naomi had developed a small crush on her after spending so much time in her room. The two had developed an instant connection in the time they'd known each other. Naomi wasn't planning on pinning after her teacher, but if something did happen, she wouldn't particularly object to it. 

Naomi sat in seventh period, not doing anything for the last five minutes. Her classmates were packing their things, discussing their plans or the weekend that was now only one day away. She didn't have any plans for the weekend, it was her eighteenth birthday the next day, but she didn't have any friends she could celebrate with. She had thought about asking Tessa to hang out, but she just assumed that she would already have other plans. 

When the bell dismissing school finally rang, Naomi stood up and made her way back to Alison's classroom. She seemed to be the only person walking deeper into the school and not towards the outside, where some would call "freedom". She knocked on Alison's door as she walked in, earning a small wave from the woman who was currently on the phone. Naomi slid into a desk near the door, the same one she had ended up with on the first day of school. The seat wasn't hers for long though, as Alison had given new seats the second day of school. Somehow, Naomi ended up right in front of Alison's desk, and she didn't have a complaint about it. 

"Hey, sorry about that," Alison smiled and walked towards Naomi after she hung up the phone. 

Naomi shook her head, "It's fine. You looked kinda upset, are you okay?"

Alison nodded her head and shrugged, "I'll be fine. How was the rest of your day?"

"It was fine," Naomi shrugged. "Tomorrow will be better, I guess. It'll be Friday, and I'll be eighteen, and I will have survived my first week here."

"Tomorrow's your birthday?" Alison smiled, sitting on the desk beside Naomi. "That's exciting. Any big plans for the weekend?"

"Probably just sit in my room, honestly. I don't have any friends to celebrate with," Naomi bit her lip. 

Alison frowned, "What about Tessa?"

"I'm assuming she already has plans for the weekend, so I didn't bother asking," Naomi shrugged. "It's cool, I'm used to spending it by myself. I'll probably go to dinner with my parents sometime next week and they'll just give me some money or something before they go off to some other continent." 

Her parents' behavior had never bothered her before, but when Naomi was telling Alison about her annual birthday plans, she felt bummed about it. Maybe it was the fact that she was telling someone for the first time, or the fact that she actually liked Alison and didn't want her to look down on her. Whatever it was, Naomi didn't like the feeling. 

"You should tell Tessa it's your birthday tomorrow. I know she would love to celebrate with you," Alison said softly. She gently laid her hand on Naomi's shoulder, giving it a squeeze before she stood up. "Let's get your mind off of that. I have an office that needs to be cleaned, and you need some community service hours. So, what kind of music do you want to listen to? I'll pull up a Pandora station on my computer."

Naomi smiled and stood up, "Does Florence and The Machine sound okay?"


	3. Chapter 3

Naomi's attention was pulled away from her locker as she heard her name being called. She turned her head towards the source of the noise, smiling as she saw Tessa coming her way. Her smile was soon accompanied by a blush on her cheeks as she saw Tessa carrying a colorful bag with tissue paper sticking out of the top. Her eyes travelled up the string attached to the bag, inwardly cursing Alison as she saw the balloon at the top. 

"Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Tessa frowned as neared Naomi. "I had to hear from Alison! I could have planned something."

Naomi bit her lip and looked up at Tessa. "I just didn't want to bother you. And I figured you already had plans, so I didn't mention anything."

Tessa shook her head and handed Naomi her present. "You're coming over tonight, and we are going to go out. You, Hannah, Lauren, and I are going bowling. It's glow in the dark on Friday nights, so wear light clothing."

"Um, okay," Naomi stood, shocked that Tessa had made plans for them. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

Tessa smirked and shook her head, "Not a chance, cupcake. Now, open your present."

Naomi smiled and set her things in her locker, shaking her head at Tessa. She pulled out the tissue paper, keeping it a safe distance from herself so she wouldn't get glitter all over herself. Inside of the bag, Naomi found a small box with a now wrapped around it and a few boxes of candy. She pulled out the box and opened it, smiling as she revealed the bracelet inside. It was a simple silver bracelet with a small charm hanging off of it. 

"The tree of life," Naomi looked up at Tessa. "I love it."

"I know it isn't the best, but I don't know you too well, so I didn't know what you'd like. Alison said that you had mentioned losing one similar to it during your move so I figured it was a good idea," Tessa mumbled, glancing down at her feet. 

Naomi wrapped her arms around Tessa, pulling her into a hug. "It's perfect, thank you."

The bell signaling there were five minutes before first period began rang and the two girls parted ways, Naomi staying at her locker to collect her things. She was thankful that her locker was right beside her first period. Tessa, on the other hand, had class on the other side of school and had to all but sprint to her first period to avoid being late.

As Naomi walked towards Alison's classroom, she noticed the blonde standing outside of the door, greeting students are their way in. She carried her presents from Tessa in the bag she had been given with one hand and waved at Alison with her other. 

"Happy birthday, Naomi," Alison smiled, gently squeezing the brunette's shoulder as she walked by. 

Naomi took a step back before moving to stand in front of Alison. "Thank you for telling Tessa," she said softly. "It means a lot. And the bracelet, it was perfect. So, thank you."

"Everyone should have someone else excited about their birthday," Alison shrugged. "But you can't eat any of the candy in my class unless you share it with me."

Naomi laughed and nodded her head, "Of course, Miss Hawthorne."

The two stood in silence, both taking in each other's presence. Naomi was thankful she decided to "dress up" and wear a floral printed dress, as Alison seemed to like it. Their silence was interrupted by the minute bell, signaling that the last few wanders had less than a minute to get to class. Naomi was the first to enter the classroom, with Alison soon following behind. Naomi kept her head down as she walked across the front of the room, the silence making the clicking of her heels evident. 

She sat in her desk, located in the very center of the front row, and set her backpack on the ground beside her feet. She set her present from Tessa beside it before she pulled out her notebook and a pencil from her backpack. Setting the two on her desk, she finally faced the front, smiling at Alison. She glanced down the front of her dress and quickly ran her hand down it to straighten the top. Naomi crossed her legs, her left folding over her right, before taking the time for her eyes to roam over Alison. She wore a blue dress, one that seemed to make her eyes seem brighter. This made her more beautiful, although in Naomi's opinion, Alison would look beautiful wearing sweatpants. She saw the blonde as the most flawless woman she had ever seen. 

During class, Naomi could feel the boy beside her staring at her body, causing her to sit straight up, now becoming self-conscious of her dress. She was slightly relived that he didn't make any comments, but she could see Alison glaring holes into the back of his head from the corner of her eye. She passed it off as Alison being angered that the boy was openly staring at a girl's body, although she wished it was because Alison was angered that he was staring at Naomi. 

+++

After class, Alison stopped Naomi from leaving, calling her over to her desk. 

"Hey," she smiled. "Tessa convinced my brother to bring her and I lunch today and she just messaged me to ask you if you wanted anything."

"If you tell him to get me some fries, I will love you forever," Naomi grinned, standing in front of Alison's desk. 

Alison raised an eyebrow, "Forever, huh?"

Naomi giggled and shrugged, "You know you're my favorite teacher already, Miss Hawthorne."

"That means a lot," Alison smiled. "So, just fries?"

"Yeah," Naomi nodded. "Thank you."

Alison smirked, "Now go to class. I don't need Ms. White calling me and getting mad that I'm preventing her students from learning."

Naomi smiled and waved at Alison before leaving the classroom. Alison watched as Naomi walked out, biting her lip as she watched the swaying of her hips. Her eyes fell to Naomi's legs and roamed their lengths until she was out of sight. Once she disappeared into the hallway, Alison stood from her desk to greet her second period as they entered. 

"You're screwed, Alison," she mumbled, walking towards her door. 

+++

When the bell rang dismissing fourth period, Naomi all but ran out of the classroom. She met up with Tessa outside of her classroom and started the trek to Alison's room. 

"I have no idea how you can last an entire day in those," Tessa laughed, glancing down at Naomi's feet. 

Naomi turned the corner onto Alison's hallway before making the sharp turn into her room. "I like them. And they make my legs look amazing, right Miss Hawthorne?" she smiled, winking at Alison. 

Alison's jaw dropped slightly at Naomi's question. She quickly collected herself and nodded, answering Naomi's question. "Yeah, they do. That's why it's worth the pain."

Naomi sat down in her usual seat, opening a box of the candies Tessa bought her. She offered Tessa a gummy bear before taking one for herself. She extended the box to Alison, who shook her head. 

"I'm good, thank you. But, I do have your fries," Alison smiled, pulling the cardboard container out of the large bag sitting on her desk. "And I asked Cam to get ketchup, barbecue, and honey mustard because I wasn't sure what you'd want to dip them in."

Naomi knocked a piece of paper off of her desk as she stood, but didn't stop to pick it up. She walked up to Alison's desk, grabbing her fries and Tessa's food before retuning to her desk. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure Alison was watching before she bent down to pick up the paper. 

Alison's eyes drifted up Naomi's legs, and when she noticed she was bending over, they roamed the newly exposed flesh. She had to bite her lip to contain the groan that threatened to escape when Naomi stood back up. To make it seem as if she wasn't staring, her eyes quickly darted to her computer screen, reading some email that was pulled up. 

"She was watching, wasn't she?" Naomi mouthed to Tessa, who nodded in response. Naomi smirked and sat back in her seat, pulling out her phone to text Tessa. Just as she had done so, a man walked through the open door, holding a small bouquet of flowers. Naomi raised an eyebrow at Tessa, who returned her gesture with a shrug and a confused look. 

The man walked behind Alison's desk, stopping only when he was right behind her. He leaned forward and whispered in her ear. It wasn't a very good whisper, as Naomi and Tessa could hear every word. 

Naomi felt like she was going to throw up when she heard him whisper a highly inappropriate sentence in Alison's ear. The sensation was soon replaced with anger as she realized that this man was Alison's boyfriend. Alison having a boyfriend meant that she would never have a chance. 

"Tom!" Alison squealed, blushing wildly as she turned around. 

The man, Tom, handed Alison the flowers with a grin on his face. "I just got back from Seattle and I wanted to surprise you, Ali. I was thinking you could come over tonight and we could do dinner."

Alison smiled up at Tom and nodded, "Yeah, that sounds great. I'm glad you're back, I missed you."

Naomi inwardly scoffed and ate her fries in silence. They seemed to have lost their flavor the second Tom entered the room. Her perfect birthday just turned into the worst one she'd ever had. Not only did Alison have a boyfriend, but she was happy with him. Why didn't Tessa tell her that she didn't have a chance with Alison when they talked in second period? A good friend would have told her that Alison already had a boyfriend. 

"Tom, this is Tessa, my little sister," Alison smiled, standing up beside him. "And sitting beside her is Naomi... she's one of Tessa's friends."

Tessa and Naomi both gave Tom a small wave, the latter being hesitant in doing so. Tom's ever present grin wasn't fading, it was as if he knew that Naomi had a crush on Alison and was trying to rub it in her face. It was practically impossible, but it's how Naomi felt. 

Naomi set the remainder of the fries in the paper bag Alison had handed her and cleaned up her area before standing up. She grabbed her phone and the bag, walking out of the room. She tossed the bag in the trash can beside Alison's door and headed to the bathroom. She needed to get out of the room as soon as possible. She didn't have a right to be upset, but she still couldn't control it. 

Naomi entered the bathroom, thankful it had been empty. She set her phone between the wall and the faucet before gripping the sides of the sink. She needed to get over her crush as soon as possible to avoid getting hurt. She really shouldn't have been this upset over Alison having a boyfriend, but even if it was a small crush, something inside of her changed. It was as if a switch had been flipped, one controlling her emotions. Normally she was extremely proficient at hiding her emotions, but she wasn't able to this time. 

"Naomi, are you okay?" Tessa asked softly, walking towards Naomi. The girl had been so caught up in her emotions that she hadn't even heard the door open. 

Naomi nodded, "I, uh, yeah. I'm great. Never been better." She made eye contact with Tessa and instantly knew that the blonde could see through her. "It shouldn't have crushed me. It did. I've only liked her for a few days, how can this affect me this much? It's ridiculous. I'm sorry."

Tessa shook her head, wrapping her arms around Naomi. "It isn't. Sometimes, it doesn't take much to fall for someone. I'm not saying you're in love with her, but you have spent quite a bit of time with her so your crush has had more time to develop. The fries didn't deserve their tragic ending," Tessa whispered, causing Naomi to laugh. 

"They didn't taste the same after I found out about Tom," Naomi shrugged. Just saying his name left a bitter taste in her mouth. 

Deciding to change the subject, Tessa turned to Naomi. "Have you taken any pictures today?"

Naomi shook her head, "You're practically my only friend, Tess."

Tessa smiled and pulled out her phone, "Let's be thankful this school has full length mirrors in the bathrooms."

The two laughed and posed as if they were on a runway together, taking pictures in the mirror until the bell rang dismissing first lunch. All of the laughter and picture-taking caused Naomi to temporarily forget the reason they ended up in the bathroom, something Tessa was thankful for. They walked to get their backpacks from Alison's room, both thankful neither Alison or Tom were in sight. 

The rest of the day seemed to fly by for Naomi. She talked to more and more people and made new friends as the day passed. Her excitement was all she could think about as she pulled up to the Hawthorne home. Tessa had sent her the address, telling her to meet her there before they went out for the night. The house was huge, but Naomi wasn't shocked, as Tessa had told her that her father was an entrepreneur and had started his own business. As she made her way to the door, Naomi adjusted her tank top, making sure it covered everything it needed to. She didn't want Tessa's parents to think anything bad about her as she would most likely be hanging around often. She and Tessa had become best friends in the small time Naomi had been in Boston, and she knew that being so close would result in constant sleepovers. 

Almost as soon as she rang the door bell, an unfamiliar woman opened the door. Naomi recognized her from a family picture that sat on Alison's desk. "You must be Naomi, happy birthday, dear," the woman smiled, stepping aside to let her in.

Naomi smiled at the woman and extended her hand, "It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Hawthorne."

Tessa's mother shook Naomi's hand with a warm smile playing at her lips. "Madeline is fine, dear." Madeline led Naomi inside, stopping in front of the stairs. 

"You have a beautiful home, Madeline," Naomi smiled, looking around the house. 

"You are very sweet, I like you," Madeline smiled. Her attention turned to the room to her left, a room Naomi assumed was the kitchen as she heard a utensil drawer opening. "Ali, what are you doing here?"

Alison walked towards her mother, slowing down as she realized Naomi was with her. "Tessa needed to borrow a pair of shoes, so I brought them over."

"Darling, this is Tessa's friend-"

"Naomi," Alison finished, giving a small wave to Naomi. 

Naomi bit her lip and waved at Alison. "Miss Hawthorne," she nodded, her eyes falling to Alison's clothes. She changed after school, she was now wearing a pair of jeans and a white blouse with the same heels from earlier. Alison seemed to do the same with Naomi, scanning her body before meeting her eyes. 

"Alison is fine outside of class," Alison smiled at Naomi. "I can show you up to Tessa's room."


End file.
